Indred_Cold
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Posts posted by Indred_Cold
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Re: Everton v Arsenal > Saturday August 23rd I think this game has "under" written all over it. As an Arsenal fan, I've learned to recognize the signs, especially in the latter Wenger years. And the signs are not particularly good right now. Once again Wenger is indulging in his own pet projects of trying to fit square pegs in round holes, like playing Cazorla as a left winger or using that caricature Sanogo as the lone striker. It all makes for unpleaseant viewing at the moment and I think it's gonna be a while before Sanchez finds a way to impose himself on the games and we start to click offensively. Defense on the other hand looks pretty good and that's the only positive right now. The return game against Besiktas is gonna be at the forefront of everyone's mind so I expect a relatively conservative approach from the Arsenal anyway. Everton kept the core of their team together although I imagine Barkley is gonna be a big miss for them in the coming months. Last year Everton ran away with the game at the time when Arsenal was in a free fall, but I expect a much tighter contest this time around. What's more, Under 2.5 @ 2.14 marathonbet looks a tad overpriced for a game that is a small derby contested by two relatively solid teams defensively. So I'll take it now before they wise up... Under 2.5 @ 2.14 5 points
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Re: Manchester United v Swansea City > Saturday August 16th
When will people learn that there is no sense, let alone value in betting strong on odds like 1.36...with those sorts of habits bookies will eat you alive! Sorry if I sound a bit harsh, I guess I am still kind of amazed to see people thinking along those lines at a place like this.Incredibly short for a week 1 football game but a return of $36 for $100 invested is better than a kick in the bum. Man U were $2.10 last year against Swansea and won 4-1 so logic says this "should" be a walk in the park but laying so much chalk in football is scary anytime. -
Re: Belgium > Jupiler Pro League > 2014/15 I really like the look of 0-0 Half-time correct score in the Westerlo-Anderlecht game! Anderlecht are champions and have won all three games, but scoring doesn't exactly come easy to them. They struggled to break Charleroi last weekend, but they are tight at the back. Westerlo have started this campaign brightly as well so I expect a cagey affair with teams feeling each other out in the opening period. Half time correct score 0-0 @ 3.25 5pts
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Re: Quarter-Final - Argentina v Belgium > Saturday July 5th Can only echo everyone else's sentiments regarding this game. These odds are bonkers really. But I imagine a lot of casual punters will be all over Argentina just on the strength of their name and tradition even if it goes down to evens.
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Re: Quarter-Final - France v Germany > Friday July 4th A fascinating match-up between two European powerhouses coming up in this quarter final. I was trying to remember the last time I saw these two sides meet and I can't recall anything of note other than a friendly a few years back. They really don't have a lot of history in big competitions or in qualifiers, at least not in the last 20 years or so. Germany is a very odd team these days. I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe it's the constant tinkering with the team and playing people out of position that irks me, or the lack of a traditional centre-forward. When you look at their team sheet it looks very strong indeed, but I feel that they are somehow fundamentally flawed and that they will once again come up short in their search for the next World Cup success. Watching them stroll around and go through the motions against Algeria was galling really. It's like they thought they just needed to show up to advance. Let's just say it was an underwhelming performance. France have their weaknesses also. After topping their group impressively enough, they were less than stellar against Nigeria. Giroud stank the place out again and is a red card waiting to happen. I really hope we see Remy against the germans. Admitedly, knock out games are often not very pretty and the result is all that matters. They are defensively very solid and aside from relaxing against the swiss at 5-0 up they kept everyone else at bay. In games like this margins are very small and if you analyzed both squads player by player there would be very little to separate the teams. It's about whose footballing gods are currently present in Brazil and I'm leaning ever so slightly towards France. I think a lack of a striker in the Klinsmann or even Mario Gomez mould will cost the germans their place in the semi final. France AH 0.0 @ 2.15 5pts and half time/full time draw/france @ 6.50 2pts
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Re: Last 16 - Belgium v USA > Tuesday July 1st
USA missed a sitter in the 93rd min. And they had a lot of chances throughout the game. Lukaku looked fired up but by the time he came on USA team was very tired (start of extra time). Besides even when he was on' date=' USA still could have scored a second goal easily in extra-time with a tired team. They were all over the Belgians until the last min. You are free to only back favorites, but pls dont disrespect people who try to look outside the box. Even if Lukaku had started I would have still bet against Belgium at evens. Granted they were the better team but this is a one-off game and every team is going to be fired up and be willing to die on the pitch.[/quote'] Damn right. No such thing as luck in betting. Those people felt that the U.S will get something from the game and they did. The exact manner and the circumstances of how that came about is irrelevant as there will be plenty of times where the situation is reversed and the team you are backing is the one who dominates throughout, but fails to convert the many chances and screws you up. In fact, I bet that there are many more instances where an average punter feels like he's been hard done by than those where he feels he got "lucky". Those things even themselves out in a long run. -
Re: Last 16 - Argentina v Switzerland > Tuesday July 1st I feel this game has a potential to be the banana skin of the round of 16! As my favourite team in this World Cup, Argentina have been desperately disappointing. Yes they had three wins, but they all contained an element of luck or relied on a moment of magic from Messi. What's even worse for a side that prides itself for having the best strike force in world football, they were barely watchable. Aside from Messi, we have only seen Di Maria impose himself on the games somewhat, but that's about it. I'm loathe to admit, but this is not a vintage Argentina team. No way ih hell are they winning this World Cup! Switzerland are known as defense specialists, but you wouldn't think it when you look at their results. Obviously they were outclassed by France, but overall they were good value for the second place finish in their group. Ottmar Hitzfeld is a very experienced strategist who will know how to set up his team to contain Argentina and give his team the best chance for success. I expect a very conservative approach from the swiss, especially in the early stages of the game. I don't know if they will be able to hold them for the full 90 minutes, but I bet they do until half time at least. My bet is a 0-0 half time correct score @ 3.25 4pts. bet365
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Re: Quarter-Final - Brazil v Colombia > Friday July 4th For the first time in this tournament I have no qualms whatsoever about opposing Brazil. I was shocked at how laboured and impotent they looked against Chile in the second half. Up until the last game I was prepared to give them a benefit of the doubt and attribute their somewhat unconvincing performances to the tremendous amount of pressure they are under and the weight of expectations, but now I see it's more than that. There are some serious defficiencies in that team, not least the striker position. But they are also wobbly at the back, as their one clean sheet and many individual errors in this World Cup will testify. On the other hand, the only argument people offer up when belittling Colombia's fantastic performance at this World Cup is that they haven't played anyone of note yet. Well, for one thing, you can only beat what is in front of you. Second, they are a very young side who play exciting, attacking football no matter who is in front of them and will have no inferiority complex against Brazil unlike some other nations. They were absolutely electric yesterday and I feel there is plenty more to come from them. At the very least, I expect them to take this tie to extra time. So, Colombia double chance @ 2.05 for 5pts and half time/full time draw @ 5.50 for 2pts are my bets for this game.
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Re: Last 16 - Costa Rica v Greece > Sunday June 29th So, we have a surprise package of the tournament versus a team that redefined the term 'plucky underdog'. I don't know how they do it, but the greeks have mastered the art of squeezing out of the group at the 11th hour. Remember the Euro 2012? There they looked like cannon fodder also for most of the time, then somehow they eke out a dodgy, backs against the wall 1-0 win against Russia and go through at their expense. To say that the manner of their win against the Ivory Coast was fortuitous is putting it mildly too. A horrendous back pass from that clown Tiote at the worst possible time and a slightly iffy penalty in the dying seconds of the game. You gotta admire their fearlessness and they probably were a better team on that day, but there is only so far that kind of football can carry you in the World Cup. There are some serious limitations in that team, especially in terms of creativity and proven goalscorers. On the other hand, there is nothing lucky about the way Costa Rica have cruised through the toughest group in the tournament! They have not only beaten Uruguay and Italy, but have outplayed them both comprehensively. The fact that they have conceded just one goal in 3 games and even that from a penalty speaks volumes about how compact and organized they are as a team. Their players seem very level headed and I don't think finishing first in the group and the massive success they already achieved is gonna make them complacent, especially not against a team like Greece. They have a chance to make history here, and this group of players seem just the right people to do it. I think there is a very small selection of results that can come out of this game. 1-0 or 2-0, just maybe a 1-1 Costa Rica and under 2.5 @ 4.0 for 4 pts is a great price for a game I see very few scenarios in and I'll have a small hedge bet on a 1-1 correct score just in case.
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Re: Last 16 - Brazil v Chile > Saturday June 28th This is as far as it goes for Chile, I'm afraid. Which is a terrible shame because they are one of my favourite teams in this World Cup. This is not to say I'm overly impressed with Brazil, which I'm not, but I just can't see them going out in the round of 16, or even needing extra time to dispose of Chile. The game against Cameroon may not be much of a yardstick, but they appear to be growing in confidence as the tournament progresses, while Chile may have hit their peak against Spain. The head to head statistics also make an unpleasant reading for Chile. I expect a valiant effort from Sanchez and co, but ultimately it won't be enough. I don't bet on singles with odds smaller than 2.0, so a straight win for Brasil @ 1.57 will probably go into a double or some accumulator.
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Re: Last 16 - Colombia v Uruguay > Saturday June 28th
It crossed my mind, but I think there is an outside chance it might end up goalless as Uruguay, with their attack blunted tighten up at back, which is why I'd rather go heavily on Uruguay not to score.I agree with your post entirely' date=' although as I don't see Uruguay keeping Columbia from scoring over 90 minutes with how impressive Rodriguez and Co. have been I think there is more value in [b']Columbia to win to nil @ 3.00 rather than just to keep a clean sheet @ 2.37? -
Re: Last 16 - Colombia v Uruguay > Saturday June 28th Thanks, let's see how it goes!:) Generally, the knock out stages of a major tournament are my favourite events for betting because we have a much clearer picture of all the teams involved and there are fewer surprises than in the group stages.
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Re: Last 16 - Colombia v Uruguay > Saturday June 28th Hi guys, my first post here. I'm a huge believer in following the trend. The columbians are riding the crest of the wave at the moment, while the uruguayans are now ingulfed in the turmoil of the Suarez bite. We saw how clueless they looked against Costa Rica without him and how completely transformed they were against England when he did play. It's not just the goal threat he poses, but he genuinely lifts them up in a way that I don't see any other player do for his country. We are now in the knock out stages and even though this has been a record breaking tournament when it comes to the number of goals scored, teams tend to tighten up come the business end of the world cup which is why I think we won't see many goal fests from here on out. As far as this game, and with odds on Colombia still going down I like the looks of these two bets: Colombia to keep a clean sheet @ 2.37, 5pts and Colombia and under 2.5 goals @ 4.0 2pts with bet365
Arsenal v Manchester City > Saturday September 13th
in Premier League Predictions
Posted
Re: Arsenal v Manchester City > Saturday September 13th I also think this will be a cagey affair with few if any goals. City haven't yet started firing on all cylinders and we all know Arsenal's record against the top teams. As an Arsenal fan I have accepted that we will never be a serious contender for as long as Wenger remains at the helm. He is a power hungry dinosaur who just won't do what it takes to build a title winning team. Even the last minute dash for Welbeck only happened because of Giroud injury. I shudder to think what our season might have looked like had he injured himself after the transfer window closed. City are coming off a shock home defeat and they probably won't go all guns blazing at the Emirates. I have watched every game they played this season and they were clinical against Liverpool and Newcastle, but weren't nearly as dominant as the scoreline suggested. I think they still have a few gears in them and that they are yet to hit their peak. My bets are under 2.5 @ 2.08 5 pts betfair and half time/full time draw @ 6.4 2 pts